Bloodlines
by Clopin K. Trouillefou
Summary: Marie Von Krolock works in Washington, DC in the Museum Natural History and finds the coffin that holds the world's most dangerous vampire: the dreaded Count Dracula. Upon waking, he is drawn to her, bearing a name he is very familiar with...
1. The Wakening

She paced through the museum late at night, a museum of the Smithsonian Institute, The Museum of Natural History; she worked here. Her name was Marie Von Krolock, the descendant of a brilliant man who had mysteriously vanished. His name, though in no history books, was chronicled, but some where in the early 17th century there were no records of him. Poet, philosopher, scientist, the Count Heinrich Giovanni Von Krolock had once been a genius. But there were no records of what became of him, his body never seemed to have been found. She was pale, her hair raven, slightly wavy, flowed past her shoulders. She'd seen a portrait of the 13th Count, he who had vanished; she looked like him, save for her black hair. She kept her swept back from her forehead, revealing her widow's peak, kind of like Dracula's. Her ancestor's silvery mane met above his brow in a sort of more rounded widow's peak.

Marie bore the same eyes that had been passed onto all children descended from the Count's daughters: Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, and his youngest, his beloved little Marie. There had been a son, heir to the title and wealth, as well as twins, a boy and a girl, but they too had vanished from family history. Eyes that were a pale, icy blue, the iris ringed by a deeper blue: the eyes of the 13th Count. She usually kept it tied back in a loose pony tail, though lately she kept it pulled back in a fashion similar to that of Legolas, from the _Lord of the Rings _movies. She often snuck in here during the night, well, not really snuck in as the night guard would let her in. But she would come during the night, not too late, some time after closing, when there were still other employees. When they would cleaning and getting ready to close, she'd wander the vast galleries and exhibits at her leisure, when it was empty of tourists. But if this was a museum of natural history, why was there a coffin in storage?

Yes, there was a coffin, not a sarcophagus like that which holds an Egyptian mummy, but an elegant coffin. So, what was it doing in a natural history museum, where everything was fossils, artifacts, geodes, the Hope Diamond, among other things? Marie reached out to touch it, finding it smooth, her fingers leaving streaks through the layer of dust. She nicked herself on a loose splinter, a drop of blood falling to the floor as she pulled away.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, bringing her finger to her mouth, "Damn it…"

She turned and left, going through the museum at her leisure, staring at the Hope Diamond longer than anything else there. The infamous Hope Diamond, God it was beautiful, and this time of evening there were no crowds surrounding it. She just wished she could touch it, hold it; that was how she learned best, hands-on. She could sit and listen to someone teach, but she learned far better when she was actually in the field trying her hand at it, helping a professional.

Night fell, Marie left the museum, much as she didn't want to, leaving the museum dark and empty… or so she thought. The scent of fresh blood, even a small drop, was enough to wake a sleeping vampire. In this case, the smell woke what humanity saw as the most dangerous vampire in the world: the dreaded Count Dracula. The cover of his coffin slowly creaked open; he'd been asleep ever since that Van Helsing incident. Not to lie low, but it had hurt so much to lose Lucy; he'd gone after Mina for revenge, but that backfired. He emerged and knelt, swiping a finger through the drop of blood, smelling it, before licking it off his finger. He recognized the scent, it had been centuries since he last smelt it, but he knew it.

"Von Krolock…" he said the name aloud.

It was pure blood, sweet nectar he had only had so many times; a pure, innocent soul, a virgin, female. Her scent was still strong, leaving a trail that he followed through the streets of the American capital, feeding upon a few innocents that had the misfortune to cross his path. It'd been centuries since he last fed and he was famished…

Dracula reached the apartment building he'd followed her scent to; it wasn't terribly far from the museum, so she had walked the whole way, which only made it easier to find her. He peered through the window of her apartment at this lovely young woman who bore a surname he knew well. She even had those icy blue eyes… His expression softened as he gazed at her; she was the female version of a man he had long ago turned. The Count Von Krolock… her black hair the same as his had been and she had his eyes. She was so beautiful, so like Von Krolock's youngest child, Marie; he pity he hadn't been able to turn her. He smiled tenderly; it was love at first sight, rather than first bite as was normally the case with Dracula. He would take his time, make her fall in love with him before taking her using as little of his vampiric powers as possible.


	2. Dark Saviour

Marie sat down with her simple dinner of Chef Boyardee ravioli in front of her TV, turning it on to Court TV and one of her favorite shows, _Forensic Files_. She loved these shows about murder and forensic investigations, they were exciting. Marie was an intelligent, artistic young woman, focused on extending her knowledge and getting a good job. She had never had sex or anything like that; the risks were too great for her to want to take any. Being as lovely a sight as she was didn't help any; she gathered more lustful glances than she wanted. Ever since middle school, all boys wanted from her was sex, they didn't seem to have any respect for her as a person. Most girls who looked as good as she did would welcome the attention but not her. She wanted a good education, a good career, and eventually a good husband and home. Not in the very near future, but in the future somewhere, but not until she was independently secure.

Marie was thin, though she'd always been picked on for being so slim, and she wondered if being so was good. She was petite, but with a generous bust and wide hips, possessing that ideal hour-glass shape. So, ever since that age that girls and boys starting noticing each other, she was a target for jealous torment from other girls and unwelcome remarks and flirtations from boys. As she got into high school, the remarks and flirtations mounted to sexual harassment. She always told the teachers and it would cease for a time, but it would continue eventually. So in time, she just stopped telling the teachers and simply ignored her peers, even if they gave her a smack on or grabbed her ass. All her life, though they lived modestly, her family was well-off having come from nobility they had a tidy fortune. But she was taught to be independent, to depend on herself and make her own way in life.

Her family paid for her college and the apartment she now lived in, helping her financially whenever she needed it. They made sure she was comfortable, and she was, but she now had a taste for living her own life and using her own money to do so. She seldom used the money her family gave her, putting it away in a separate account for her rent and emergencies. Her parents had also given her the fine furniture, TV, DVD/Video player and her surround sound system as well as cable. She had her own collection of DVDs, most of which she paid for and a few videos her parents had let her take that no one else watched. Her parents didn't mind paying for cable; Marie watched cartoons, but also watched a good deal of educational shows and channels. Now she sat watching TV, eating her micro-raviolis with a cup of iced tea by her side, unaware that she was being watched. Dracula watched her, finding it hard to will himself away from her; she was so beautiful and he had taken a quick peek inside her mind. She was perfect: intelligent, beautiful, talented, and lonely for a man who loved her and respected her for herself.

It was the next day at work, Marie was looking around after hours when she was approached by one the paleontologists who worked there. At the museum, they made cast moldings and replicas of prehistoric fossils, and that was an area that Marie wanted so much to study.

"Hey, Marie," the paleontologist, a young woman called, "Would you like to help me with something?"

Marie had been looking at the dinosaur fossils, one of her favorite exhibits and the young woman knew of Marie's interest.

"Sure, Susan!" she exclaimed going to the lab with her.

There was no way Marie was going to pass up an opportunity to actually help a paleontologist. It was twilight when Marie got out, so the streets were emptier than usual, kind of like her stomach, as she walked home. There were still some people dotting the streets, not many, but some. As she walked by a man smoking a cigarette, a habit she loathed, she held her breath so she wouldn't smell the damn thing. She saw him grin at her, heard him whistle, accompanied by a cat call, but she thought nothing of it.

That was a mistake Marie came to regret when she felt the man grab her and drag her into an alley.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, "How about you and me…?"

"I'm not doing anything with you!" she growled, "Now let me go!"

"Not so fast, pretty," he replied, "My buddies haven't shown up yet. We're gonna take you for a little ride."

"I don't think she likes that idea," a voice growled.

Marie's attacker was lifted high off the ground, and slammed into the wall, his face showing pure terror. She looked at her rescuer, but he had his back to her, though she could make out long, straight black hair and a flowing black cloak. The hand around the man's throat was pale, almost white, then, the dark figure turned to her. His handsome features were distorted with disgust and anger against his captive.

"Go!" he commanded, "I will finish with him."

She didn't wait a second and quickly ran the rest of the way to her apartment, collapsing on the couch, as her breathing and heartbeat slowed. Who was that that saved her? Whoever he was, his face was clear in her mind and not likely to be forgotten any time soon.

The man who had saved her, his face handsome face burned in her mind, his black eyebrows low over his eyes that were filled with hate. His hair met above his brow in a widow's peak, that ever classic vampire hairline, and cascaded past his shoulders. It was thick and raven in color, shining in the moonlight against his black cape. His narrow eyes had seemed red and she swore she had seen prominent canines in his mouth as he had spoken.


End file.
